ILLINOIS -- What a nightmare I am in the middle of with Orbitz. . I booked previously with Orbitz and fortunately there were no problems. There is no way to contact anyone who can assist you, and there is no follow from anyone I have been able to speak toâ¦..Since last Saturday when I Booked and paid for a guaranteed room for that night that could not be cancelled. On my reservation, I made a special request for handicap access because my sister is on crutches. Several hours later received a call from "dotty" who spoke very poor English, said she was cancelling my reservation because there was no room available. I had called the hotel directly while searching online so I know there were rooms. I tried to explained that I understood it was possible that my request was not going to be honored (It clearly stated that when I made the request). After spending a lot of time (over 45 minutes) trying to communicate and hearing " I am cancelling your reservationâ at least 3 times. I finally convinced her to call the hotel which ended up with Dotty requesting a set of crutches for me upon arrival - total language barrier. She got back on the line with me and said they do not have crutches. At this point I began to lose it, I finally contacted the hotel directly (Dotty gave me their number and the managers name) spoke with the manager and confirmed my reservation and all was well....UNTIL 3 hours later when I was 15 minutes from the property and the Manager called me to say ORBTIZ had cancelled my confirmed reservation sometime after 8pm and the room was resold automatically. He was sorry he had no more rooms. I was in the mountains of NC after dark with no rooms available- fortunately the manager called around we had to back track 20+ minutes and spend 50$ more for a room. All during this time I am trying to communicate with Ortiz overseas customer service based on my phone records I spent close to 4 hours on the phone with ORBITZ on Sat (disconnected by a supervisor once finally spoke with Mindy who said she would follow up. I explained the extra cost and gave her the manager name (he had already left for the evening it was after 10pm by this time. TODAY JULY 6 - 6 days later I am still awaiting a call back to correct this problem and get my refund. I did get a call at 11pm AT NIGHT from MINDY on Sunday ( when I asked why she was calling so late she said she did not know what time it was in the US) she said the hotel manager was off until Tuesday 7/3 and would call the manager then. No Call back yet, my credit card is still be charged for a cancelled room$108, and I have paid for another room that cost $160+ . The manager (of the hotel I was supposed to stay at) has NOT BEEN CONTACTED by ORBTIZ. I have spoken with him twice. Called Orbtiz and I sat on hold for 25 minutes and gave up. I chatted with a customer service representative online. Only thing she could do was sent my info to the escalation team or have a Philippines representative call me - said I will hear something in 48 hours. She confirmed that there has been no follow up and that I cannot speak to anyone who speaks English as their primary language. Seriously this is beyond the worst customer service I had ever received Orbitz should be ashamed of the âcustomer serviceâ provided. I am going to post this on every site, Face Book and twitter, I can find. I have already contacted by credit card. But Orbitz should be paying for the extra I had to pay. My reservation was paid for and GUARANTEED- I guess that means something else in their dictionary. LESSON LEARNED DO NOT BOOK WITH ORBITZ.

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

Orbitz is for Suckers

Posted by OrbitzSucker on 04/13/2010

Orbitz is for suckers. The below sorry e-mail dialogue is pretty self-explanatory.

I learned the hard way that proper due diligence in getting a decent price on a hotel room includes the old fashioned step of CALLING THE RESERVATION DESK.

Orbitz sold us a hotel room for $99 per night that was available to any AAA member who called the hotel reservation desk for $71 per night. I suspect that Orbitz paid no more than $60 per night.

This hotel's computers made available to guests for checking e-mails, etc., are right by the reservation desk. Nothing ruins your vacation like being reminded how much you got gouged with every new check-in behind you when you are reading your e-mails.

In Orbitz's defense, based on their last e-mail, they are genuinely very sorry that I FOUND OUT HOW MUCH THEY OVERCHARGED ME.

Don't use Orbitz for your travel plans. They rely on people being lazy and not checking around. That is their market niche. As more and more people wise up to their game, they need to make as much as possible off of the remaining suckers. Don't be one of them.

We regret to hear about your disappointment but will respect any decision that you will be making. We just hope that we could have a future opportunity to restore your confidence in our products and company.

Sincerely,

Corinne / MAV
Customer Service Supervisor
www.Orbitz.com
Customer 04/12/2010 07:05 PM
Thank you for taking the time for your reply. It was my mistake in using Orbitz. I will not make that same mistake again, and will do my best to ensure that no friend of mine does the same. Please enjoy the 40% commission you earned on booking our hotel room. Thank you.

Hotmail is redefining
busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your inbox. See how.
Response (Corrine) 04/12/2010 03:19 PM
Dear *******,

Good day.

Thank you for contacting Orbitz regarding the rate differential for your stay at the Days Inn in Sedona. On behalf of Orbitz, I sincerely apologize for this disappointing experience.

It is my understanding that you are seeking a refund for the difference in the rate the hotel charged Orbitz and what Orbitz charged you.

On your behalf, I have reviewed your reservation history and I would like to explain my findings. Orbitz.com is an on-line travel website giving our members the ability to be their own travel managers. Orbitz does all that we can to provide you with all the tools necessary to accomplish any task required to create, change or even cancel a reservation. When an Orbitz member visits our website, you have the opportunity to view over 65,000 properties with a multitude of rate options. These options include both traditional retail hotels where guests pay at the end of their stay and hotels that participate in our Orbitz program where the amount that includes what will be billed by the hotel plus a fee for Orbitz services is put on the credit card at the time of booking.

During the search and booking process, you selected a hotel that participates in our Orbitz program. The rates are deeply discounted by the hotel to offer you the best available rate at time of booking. In your selection of this hotel, the total cost was disclosed and was agreed to by you prior to the booking.

The negotiated rates for hotel inventory available for booking on our site is confidential financial information that only Orbitz and that specific hotel's management team are to have knowledge of, is not available to the public, and was disclosed to you by the hotel in error.

Orbitz provides reservations services to customers. In addition to information on destination, dates and number of guests, a customer can select a specific hotel, hotel chain, location and budget preference. Customers can also indicate amenity preferences. Orbitz utilizes a "Neighborhood Matrix" display to offer customers the unique ability to compare hotel search results on a detailed and user-friendly map that highlights each hotel's location, neighborhood description, price and star rating together on one screen. Orbitz earns an amount for the services of facilitating the reservation that it provides.

We apologize rate information was disclosed to you by the hotel. Ms. *******, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We appreciate your business and hope you will provide us with a future opportunity to fully restore your confidence in our products and services.

I have forwarded your issue to a supervisor. They will review and respond as soon as possible. I apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience while this matter is examined. When we do learn of a problem, Orbitz takes immediate action to prevent any future disappointing experiences for our customers.

Sincerely,

Alvin Foster
Orbitz Email Service Team

Orbitz - Travel Well
www.Orbitz.com
Customer 04/12/2010 12:35 PM
Thanks for the prompt reply. This was not a new rate. It was what they were charging all along. You guys just suck at getting the best rates. We won't be using you again. Sorry.

The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Get started.
Response (E-mail Customer Service) 04/12/2010 12:10 PM
Dear Orbitz Customer,

Thank you for contacting Orbitz.

I understand you are unhappy as the hotel offered a lower rate for your reservation.

I would like to apologize for the inconvenience you have encountered.

I have reviewed your account and can see that you have a past reservation named 'Sedona 4/5/10'.

Prepaid rates are discounted rates and Orbitz books these rates in advance. However in some rare cases, the hotel rates may drop. In such cases, we are unable to provide you with the new prevailing rate, as your credit card is already charged at the time of booking. Similarly, on the day of check-in or check-out, if the hotel's rate is higher than what you were charged (at the time of booking), Orbitz does not make any additional charges to your credit card.

For future reference, we do guarantee the lowest rates on our Low Price Guarantee Hotel reservations. If you reserve a Low Price Guarantee Hotel rate and then find the same room, in the same hotel, for the same dates, at a lower price online, we'll refund the difference.

If you would like to learn more about this promotion, please follow these steps:

1. Log on to the Orbitz website http://www.Orbitz.com

2. At the bottom of the webpage, click on the small link 'Low Price Guarantee Hotel'.

For further assistance, please call Orbitz Customer Service at (888) 656-4546 from the US and (312) 416-0018 from outside the US. Our Customer Service Agents will be able to assist you more efficiently on the phone.

We appreciate your business and hope you will give us another opportunity to fully restore your confidence in our products and services.

Customer 04/12/2010 11:28 AM
Just to let you know that we really regret using Oribitz to book this trip. You charged us $99 plus tax per night. Days Inn only charges $71 plus tax per night to AAA members who book directly. When we found out about the difference, we asked for an adjustment but were refused because we had prepaid using Orbitz. We stayed 6 nights so using you cost us over $168.

I know that this is not covered under the terms of the Price Assurance guarantee, but just wanted to let you know that this happened and we are very unhappy. I doubt we will be using Orbitz again or recommending this site to our traveling friends.

[---001:005971:21898---]

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

ORBITZ` silly commercial about refunds for lower hotel rates

Posted by JESS90069 on 06/22/2010

The silly commercial that shows the 'hovercraft' landing and giving a check to someone for 'doing nothing' is so much baloney! They need to offer a website, that can be verified, of the actual money they have indeed refunded! EVERY Professional Travel Consultant in the country can do the exact same thing! Anyone that buys on one of these mega travel sites should make 1000% sure they read the fine fine fine print! [Customer service is pretty non existent with the big mega travel sites! - Be forewarned!]
Reminder: do business with your local travel agent, who in all probability is your client! Economics 101 Support local businesses so they can support you! That is not 'Rocket Science' and certainly not "hovercraft science!"
It just ticks me off that a giant mega company [operating in the red] can pay thousands of dollars for a dumb commercial and by-pass small business owners in your own neighborhood.

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

No Customer Service - Selling Rooms That Don't Exist!

Posted by Chris on 08/07/2013

Rating: 1/51

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- On Saturday 8/3/2013 I booked a room at a hotel in Oregon through Orbitz. When I arrived at the hotel I was informed that they did not have a reservation and they had no rooms. After telling them it was on Orbitz they told me they had been full all day but Orbitz kept sending them rooms and it was not their problem.

THIS ROOM WAS PRE-PAID AND I WAS CHARGED AND GOT A CONFIRMATION!!!

I called Orbitz, and the agent who was obviously speaking English as a second language called the hotel, was told they were full and then blamed everything on the hotel. The most he was willing to do was to cancel the reservation. When I asked about another room he wanted to do nothing until I asked for a supervisor. I was then told he called every other hotel showing as available and told they were full and it was the fault of each hotel and not Orbitz.

He told me to book another online that I did and then came back and told me they were full as well after they charged my credit card again.

He only offered to refund the first charge in five days and wanted to do nothing else until I demanded. There was no customer service, I was lied to about what hotel's he called, the website does not display proper rooms available but they sure do instantly charge your credit card but they are not willing to refund for their errors.

I told them it was their responsibility to find me another room and to pay for it which he said his supervisor said they couldn't do (after I was told no supervisors were available) and then after pushing they said they could find a room 25 miles away, gave me a name of a hotel but would not give me directions. I didn't know where I was at the time. When pressed for directions he then hung up on me.

I called back and was told the only note in the account was that I agreed to a refund of the first hotel and that was it. Needless to say I was left stranded and without a room that night by Orbitz. Yes, you still charged my card!

When I contacted them about the charges they claim that I stayed at the second hotel which I was told was full after making the reservation.

NEVER NEVER book through Orbitz or trust what they say they have in room inventory.

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

Orbitz reserved us a promo that we were not eligible for!

Posted by Sheila on 01/04/2013

Rating: 1/51

BOISE, IDAHO -- BUYER BEWARE!!!
Problem: Upon arriving to our hotel, we were told that Orbitz had booked a promotional code that we were not eligible for. It was for a “Single Ladies” promotion. We had no idea what they were talking about. So explained that Orbitz required us to fill in the passengers names and sex origin and that it was not our fault that their system did this to our reservation. In the end we had to pay the difference of $250.00 out of pocket right when we arrived to the hotel.
Technical Issue: Orbitz system only looks for the cheapest deal for the hotels in the area you are looking for. Their online system does not have algorithms set to catch whether or not the buyer meets the requirements of the promotion.
Customer Service: When we contacted Orbitz upon our arrival to our hotel to ask them to fix the issue, (which took them an hour just to get us on the line with the right person) we were told that it would take 2-3 weeks for resolution on the issue, and that we would need to pay the difference. They told us that we would get an email confirmation within 48 hours. (BTW there were 2 other couples dealing with the same issue when we arrive to the hotel, and calling them as well) Since we were in another country, we were forced to reluctantly pay the difference. When we returned home, there was no email. We contacted Orbitz again 2 weeks after our original call and they said they had not began working on the issue. I requested they escalate the issue and get back to me ASAP. Two days later, they called and stated that they found no issue with our reservation and somehow we agreed that we were eligible for this “Single Ladies” promotion. After some arguing with the customer service representative about how the system never asked us to check a box or anything and that there should be amn algorithm to catch these things (my Husband is an electrical engineer and computer code for a living), we were offered a $50.00 voucher to use Orbitz again and that they were sorry for the inconvenience.
Overall Rating: 0/10. I would not ever rate them a fraction of percentage since I could have gone with any other company and not had to deal with this crap. Next time we will book with the Priceline guarantee.
Recommendation: DO NOT USE ORBITZ FOR ANYTHING!!!

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

Worst Experience Ever

Posted by D on 07/22/2011

I am extremely disappointed with Orbitz. I was looking to book a hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel this past Spring. After some searching, I took it upon myself to contact Orbitz via the toll free number on their website. I talked to an Orbitz representative and told her that I would like to book a hotel in the city of Tel Aviv and provided the dates that I had wished to stay in the city as well as a price range that was affordable to both me and my family. The Orbitz employee checked the available listings and within a few minutes recommended a âresort.â She mentioned that this âresortâ was on the beach and it was within the price range that I had requested.

When my family and I arrived in Tel Aviv, we went to the taxi station within the airport and gave them the address to the âresort,â which turns out was not in Tel Aviv at all, but rather in a small town called Mihmoret approximately 30 miles north of Tel Aviv! Since it was Shabbat when we arrived in Tel Aviv, a taxi was the only mode of transportation available to us. The cost of traveling to the resort in Mihmoret by taxi was 350 Shekels (approximately $100), but since there was no alternative, we were forced to pay this amount, even though we did not want to stay in Mihmoret in the first place.

When we finally arrived to the so-called âresort,â the first thing we noticed was that it was in a residential neighborhood, with nothing within walking distance and since we had no car we thought that it might be possible to take public transportation. Unfortunately, there were no bus terminals nearby. Additionally, there wasnât a place to catch a taxi, there wasnât a market, nor was there a beach anywhere in sight. In fact, the beach was a good two or three miles from the âresort.â The area itself did not look very safe at all and we asked the taxi driver to wait while we checked things out.

Upon walking to the âresort,â we were immediately disgusted at what we saw. A dirty, rundown residence that had been converted into a so-called âresort.â The weeds were growing out of control around the property, the front was littered with junk, dirty laundry was strung up in front of the residence and the area was full of eyesores. When we arrived, we had to ask the driver of the taxi to call the phone number provided to us in order to obtain a key to enter the residence. After about a 15 minute wait, this young Israeli man of no more than 25 years drives up and takes us into the residence. The inside of this residence was just as much of a pigsty as was the outside. The pictures of this place on the Orbitz website had shown a clean and tidy place, but the truth was that the place was rundown and filthy. The rooms were bare and the restroom and shower were one and the same. The pictures sent in to Orbitz from the owner of the residence was false advertising, and Orbitz had taken no precautionary steps to validate that the pictures were an accurate representation of the property. Not willing to stay in such a filthy place, we opted to take a taxi to the city of Haifa (which we had planned on visiting the next day). Once again, we had to pay an additional 350 Shekels ($100) to go to the city of Haifa. If we had a hotel WITHIN the city of Tel Aviv, then we could have stayed the night there and took the train to Haifa the following day for a fraction of the price.

Even though we decided not to stay in the âresortâ mostly due to the false advertising on the Orbitz website, we still were forced to pay the $150 for the room (and we had booked the same place for our trip back from Haifa, so we had to pay another $150). Being out $300 is not the problem. The problem is Orbitz lack of professionalism, to at least verify that the pictures posted to THEIR website for THEIR customers to view is an accurate depiction of the hotel.

Below are links to the pictures that I took of the so-called âresort.â

I sent a complaint letter to Orbitz about their service and all I got in return was a form letter. Screw this company and I advise anyone and everyone not to book with this company. Original letter and response follows:

To whom it may concern,

I just thought I would write you and let you know about an experience I had with your company. I booked a hotel through Orbitz 1 1/2 months before my vacation. When I finally arrived at my hotel (America's Best Inns, Carbondale, IL Sept. 3rd, 2009) I found it to be closed for renovation. I contacted your customer support via cell phone and was placed on hold numerous times for an approximate period of 40 minutes.

During this time, the manager of the hotel came around the corner and asked if he could assist me. I explained my situation to him and he informed me that he had contacted Orbitz two weeks prior and that Orbitz was rebooking their customers to a sister hotel 30 miles away.

In the meantime, the representative came back on the line and told me that Orbitz had no idea the hotel had been closed; lie number 1. Knowing I was in town for a reunion, the manager contacted another hotel nearby and asked them to honor the price I was quoted by your company. The representative then came back on line and told me he had the hotel on the line and that they are working on the situation; lie number 2 seeing as how I had the manager directly in front of me.

The manager of the closed down hotel ended up finding a room for me nearby at that rate. The representative again came back on line and told me that he had rebooked me in another hotel, which was the same one the manager also called, and that Orbitz could get me in there but I would have to pay full rate; lie number 3 seeing as the manager was able to get my original rate only because I had my documentation from you in front of me.

It was about this time I snapped. First of all, the representative knew I had the manager in front of me yet he insisted he was on the line with very same person I was talking to.

Not only did Orbitz screw up by not informing me that the hotel was not in operation and remedy the situation long before my arrival, your company directly lied while in conversation when the problem was discovered. I had just spent 11 hours in transit and did not need this aggravation upon arrival.

I arrived at my location with absolutely no place to stay because of your company's incompetence. If it were not for the assistance of the hotel manager, who just happen to show up to check on restoration progress, I would have been stranded as it was a holiday weekend and hotels were pretty much booked solid in the immediate area.

I would suggest when dealing with your company mistakes you instruct your reps in learning how to lie to customers efficiently and not continue with the lie when it is obvious they have been caught. I am very disappointed in the performance of your company. Orbitz was absolutely no help to me in my vacation, in fact, Orbitz was almost the cause for ruining it altogether.

We value your feedback and sincerely appreciate your taking the time to write to us. It is very disappointing to learn of the situation you encountered and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. We appreciate your business and hope you will provide us with a future opportunity to fully restore your confidence in our products and services.

Sincerely,

Michael
OrbitzTLC Team

Orbitz - Travel Well
www.Orbitz. com

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

Non-Refundable Cancellation

Posted on 10/13/2014

Rating: 1/51

I made a reservation via Orbitz awhile ago. I went to cancel it today - and it told me it was "non-refundable" - whatever, I thought it was just a reservation. Apparently, I forgot I had pre-paid the room and when I contact customer service - nobody could help. Too late - I already cancelled. So no money and no room.

I can't imagine that I'm the first person to forget they've pre-paid for a room. I've made other reservations over the years and have never had an issue changing reservations. This is the kind predatory treatment I expect from the airlines, not a customer service based on-line travel agency.

So, I've learned my lessons:

- Double-check everybody carefully when making travel arrangements.
- Pay better attention when making changes because that's where I missed the non-refundable part.
- Don't use Orbitz since they wouldn't help except for the offer of a $20 voucher.

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

Sold Me an Overbooked Hotel - I Didn't Get a Room

Posted by Tiffany on 07/31/2014

Rating: 1/51

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- I booked a hotel room with Orbitz on 5/29/14. The room was for my finances' 40th birthday on 7/30/14. I booked a room at the Dunhill Hotel in uptown Charlotte. When we arrived to the front desk for check in, the clerk informed me that they were oversold and I did not have a room. I was so incredibly disappointed. Orbitz never contacted me or told me about this ahead of time. The hotel clerk informed me that they told Orbitz about the situation in advance. Other hotels in the area were sold out as well. I will never book with Orbitz again.

I want Orbitz to refund me my money. It's completely ridiculous that they do not contact their clients to let them know when a service cannot be provided. They should have contacted me ahead of time, found a different hotel for me and covered any variance in the price.

Was this review helpful?YesNo

Replies

Not as Described

Posted by Joe on 10/07/2013

Rating: 1/51

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA -- We were trying to book a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Salinas California, but for some reason were booked at the Holiday Inn in Santa Nella California, which is an hour away.

Before booking I checked all the relevant information, as I was aware the one in Salinas was booked, and I've been burned by Orbitz before, NEVER AGAIN! The dates were correct, the location was correct, the price was right, everything looked good.

Fastforward to when I open my email. The room is booked in Santa Nella. There is a cancellation fee, which I was aware of, but only agreed to under the context of renting a room in Salinas... So disappointing, such a headache to try to refund, ended up filing a Visa dispute with my bank, but they are even fighting that. Must not be going so well with Orbitz right now. Maybe I'll start check My 3 Cents before dealing with online companies from now on.